Deb at Readerbuzz hosts our 5th and final week of Nonfiction November where we list the books that we added to our To Be Read list during the event.

While writing my Week 1 post, I discovered that I had a theme in 2024 of listening to audiobooks of memoirs by male celebrities read by the author.

Two people, Heather and Angela, mentioned that they enjoyed Being Henry: The Fonz…and Beyond by Henry Winkler. I put that on my TBR — and then went ahead and read it. Henry Winkler was a good companion on my walks in November.

I more often read memoirs by women, so I was happy to learn about this one by an actress I love: Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Rent by Judi Dench, recommended by Jane who called it her favorite nonfiction pick for the year.

Stephen Fry would be a terrific audiobook narrator. He has written memoirs that I might want to try, but that’s not what I discovered from Nonfiction November. Mallika liked Stephen Fry’s book, Mythos, about Greek myths. Fry narrates the audio version, but I want to check out the print book, too, for the illustrations.

My Book Pairings post for Week 3 came together when Frances listed In Search of Mary Shelley: The Girl who Wrote Frankenstein by Fiona Sampson as a book that she hopes to read. A biography of Mary Shelley is perfect to pair with the novel Her Lost Words by Stephanie Marie Thornton, a historical novel about Mary Wollstonecraft and Mary Shelley.

In that post, I asked for recommendations for a biography of Mary Wollstonecraft. Jane and Brona both recommended Romantic Outlaws: The Extraordinary Lives of Mary Wollstonecraft and Mary Shelley by Charlotte Gordon.

Mary Shelley famously experienced The Year Without a Summer, one inspiration for the novel Frankenstein. Katherine recommended The Year Without Summer: 1816 and the Volcano That Darkened the World and Changed History by Nicholas P. Klingaman & William K. Klingaman.

Here are some books that I would love to read with my book group that specializes in books about race (usually in America).

• The Countryside: Ten Rural Walks through Britain and its Hidden History of Empire by Corinne Fowler (published as Our Island Stories in the UK), recommended by Liz
• Better Living Through Birding: Notes from a Black Man in the Natural World by Christian Cooper, recommended by Jane
• An African History of Africa by Zeinab Badawi, recommended by Liz

Finally, I found two books that struck me as perfect for the New Year:

• Supercommunicators: How to Unlock the Secret Language of Connection by Charles Duhigg, recommended by Lisa
• The Lazy Genius Way by Kendra Adachi, recommended by Katherine

What books did you put on your TBR in November?